Berkshire Manual of Style for International Publishing

manual is a unique repository of guidelines, rules, and exceptions to rules; meditations and asides on writing and word use; behind-the-scenes anecdotes; and publishing lore. Berkshire offers sage advice for authors, editors, and reviewers alike—for anyone, really, who cares about how we all use the written word to convey information, perceptions, values, and visions, and to communicate with one another. As a US publisher geared to providing readers with global coverage on a range of topics as varied as sports and sustainability—and having taken on the whole wide world time and time again—Berkshire is ready to share the experience and expertise that inform the manuals and guidelines the company circulates to its international editors, contributors, and staff. Topics include: • for editors—querying experts with professional authority and grace; what to consider when working with authors whose first language is not English; dealing with politically sensitive subjects; working with peer reviewers • for authors (including those new to publishing in English)—preparing and organizing submissions for encyclopedias, journals, and conference papers; making an essay or article global and timely; understanding a target audience; explaining controversial topics with objectivity • for publishers—business writing and communication skills in a global market; handling names, dates, and measurements; broadening editorial perspectives Readers of the Berkshire Manual of Style for International Publishing will be equipped with a new toolkit designed to supplement, but not replace, traditional style guides. They will also learn: • what the brilliant essayist Marvin Mudrick thought about punctuation • how a tweet and a rock band brought attention to the serial comma • what writers (and editors) can learn from an architect • why a Chinese author used the term ten almightinesses to mean decathlon • which Americanisms British editors dislike most Berkshire likes to describe its encyclopedias as circles of knowledge created by communities of experts. The phrase combines metaphor (from Greek etymology) with professional practice. The Berkshire Manual of Style for International Publishing has been assembled in that spirit, and with that phrase in mind.